Blood Lust

by T. Lynne Tolles

  “The Elders of the clan found this lack of control for their thirst disturbing and they demanded that the Insatiables were to either conform or be banished from the clan. Well now, being in the clan certainly had its perks, and who knew what was outside the clan? So these Insatiables started using their gift and mastering it. They found that they could feed on their own kind, without their knowing. They also found great power in feeding on their fellow vampires. Their strength was impervious, their mind influence was greater, and their beauty was more than any other in the clan.

  It was a long time before the clan figured out what was going on. If the Insatiables hadn’t gotten so greedy, they probably could have lived in the clan forever, but their greed for this new found power, was overwhelmingly addicting. Their appetite for it became irresistible. They were also feeding off the sexual energies of their fellow vampires. These Insatiables started draining the vampires of their blood and their energy through sex. They could control their minds so that they never knew the act of sex or feeding ever happened, just like a vampire can do with a human.”

  “So what happened to these Insatiables?”

  “Well, when vampires started appearing sick and everyone knows vampires don’t get sick, bells started going off. Vampires started spying on other vampires and that’s when it was revealed what these Insatiables had been doing. The clan beheaded them and burned them at the stake, basic killing of a vampire, unless you have a werewolf around.”

  “Well, of course,” Mark rolled his eyes. “So you think that Libby is one of these Insatiables?”

  “I do, but you would define her as a succubus of vampires. She only feeds on vampire men, and in our case, very specific men.”

  “Specific how?”

  “I think she will only feed from those of noble blood. The Larsens are noble. That’s why she came on to Devon in the first place. She knew he was related to the Larsens and he was her foot in the door.”

  “But why would she go after him now?”

  “I’m figuring her pickings are getting slim and Devon is half noble blood. His mother was a pure blood, so she drained poor Anton, leaving him for dead, and grabbed the next one in line.”

  “If that’s so, we may have a break in this case.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, if you can get a list of pure blood vampires in the area, we can look for them and maybe run across her feeding pattern.”

  “Good point. I’ll call Anton when we get to the apartment.”

  Darby talked to the doorman and got the key that Anton had left for her.

  “It’s the penthouse apartment,” the doorman said.

  “Thanks.” She and Mark went into the elevator as the doorman watched Mark rather nervously.

  “Quit doing that, Mark.”

  “What?”

  “Giving your scary face to try and intimidate people.”

  “I was not doing that.”

  “Liar.”

  “Was not.”

  “Pants on fire.”

  “What are you, five?”

  The elevator doors slid open and they went to the far end of the hall and inserted the key. “Wow!” she said as she walked in.

  “Nice pad.”

  “No kidding. Look at the view. Wow, and here I am eating macaroni and cheese every night – oh well. You start doing your P.I. thing. See if you can find anything that might be Libby’s or gives us a clue to where she might be going. I’m going to call Anton.”

  “All righty then.”

  “Anton? It’s Darby again. My God, this place is beautiful. I think I can see your house in Connecticut from here.”

  “It’s yours anytime you want it, Darby. What can I do for you?”

  “Do you have a list of names of other pure blood vampires in the area? I mean, is there some kind of secret society or men’s club or something?”

  “Not really, I mean, you know that’s pretty hush, hush.”

  “Oh, I know, but I have a hunch and I think it might pertain to others of your blood line.”

  “Well, there aren’t any other Larsens anymore. Dominic used to mingle with a Michael Porter in New York and Abby used to be close with ummm… a Simon Corbel. Does that help?”

  “Sure it does, Anton. Anything helps. If you think of any others could you text me?”

  “Sure. Are you going to stay there tonight?”

  “Oh, probably not. I bummed a ride and I’m sure Mark has to get back home.”

  “You went there with a guy?”

  “He’s a friend, Anton. Remember, I’m looking for Devon.”

  “Yeah, okay. Well at least there’s someone there to protect you in the city.”

  “Thank you, sweetie. Talk to you later.”

  “Anton a little worried about me, making some moves on you?” Mark asked.

  “Anton’s a little worry wart. Did you find anything?”

  “Well, I’m not sure. On the post-it pad over there by the phone, I found an address.”

  “Good. Was it in the garbage?”

  “No, it wasn’t in the garbage, it was imprinted from the post-it on top.”

  “Oh, so you used the pencil trick.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Cool. Does it look like a woman’s writing?”

  “Yes, it’s very flowery.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Yeah, but it could be Anton’s.”

  “What?”

  “A very expensive black overcoat.” She stopped cold. It was Devon’s, she was sure of it. She picked it up and smelled it. Yes, Devon. Definitely Devon. She reached in the pocket and she sat down on the chair. She pulled out several bobby pins with two strands of her hair attached from the night he told her about Libby. Oh God. He was here. The tears poured down her face like it had happened yesterday.

  Mark rushed over to her and kneeled in front of her, “What is it, Darby?”

  “It’s his. It’s Devon’s. He was here.”

  “How can you know that? It could be Anton’s.”

  She shook her head and opened her hand to display the bobby pins. “These are mine. I borrowed his coat and put them in there myself.”

  “Oh, Darby. I’m so sorry, but it does mean we are on the right track, right? We don’t know how long ago he was here, but he was here. I’ll go talk to the creepy doorman and see if he can’t give me a timeline for seeing Devon.”

  “Great, Mark. Thank you!”

  “Are you going to be all right?”

  “Maybe one day.” She sat there holding the coat. “You go ahead. I’ll meet you down there and lock up.”

  She dried her eyes and made one last look around the beautiful apartment and the view outside. She grabbed the coat and brought it to her face, taking a huge whiff. She put on the coat, grabbed the keys, locked the door, and headed for the elevator.

  She stepped out of the elevator and headed for Mark. He was finishing up with the doorman and as she got to his side, he turned and escorted her out the door.

  “Good news. Cost me fifty bucks, but he remembers Devon. Said he only saw him the one time about two months ago, with a great looking blonde with brown eyes.”

  “Thanks, Mark. You’re a trouper. I’ll pay you back, I promise, next paycheck from the library.”

  The drive home to Massachusetts was very quiet. She just sat there looking out the window, hands in her lap, wearing Devon’s overcoat. Mark wondered when or if she would ever take it off. As they turned on her street, Mark said, “So we have a couple good solid leads. Can you give me the names of the pure bloods?”

  “You don’t have to, Mark. I can look them up.”

  “Sure you can, but with two, you get more information.” She smiled at his generosity.

  “Simon Corbel – Connecticut and Michael Porter –New York.”

  He wrote them down. “Okay. I will check on that address too and let you know what I come up with.”

  She never once looked at him. She seemed to be in a daze, like a zomb
ie. “That’s super, Mark. Thanks for your help. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “You sure you’re okay?”

  “Perfect,” she said and went up the steps and into the house, but he never saw a light come on. Didn’t she have electricity. It was February for God’s sake. He worried about her all the way home. I sure hope this guy is truly in trouble, because if he’s not, I’m going to give him some trouble, vampire or not.

  Darby stood behind the closed door as Mark drove away. She could see her breath as she tried to hold the sobbing back without success. She dropped her purse on the floor in front of the door and walked to the couch. She didn’t have a bed. She didn’t want to waste her money on frivolous things she could get by without. The couch was fine.

  Fully clothed, she got under the thick pile of blankets and pulled them up over her. She lay there and cried for hours it seemed. He had been there with Libby. Was he still alive? Would she ever feel his warm, loving arms around her again, or were those only for Libby now, along with his sweet kisses and whispers in the night. For weeks now she had only enough income to pay for water and a tiny bit of food. The less she used, the longer the money would last. She had money in the bank, the money from the bookstore, but that would only last so long and she felt she needed to keep a bit in the bank in case she had to travel to find Devon. She didn’t have to live this way, but she could search for Devon longer if she watched every penny. She lived on peanut butter sandwiches and water. When she wasn’t working at the library, she was doing research in the library. She only came home to sleep, shower, and eat peanut butter sandwiches.

  December had been long and somewhat productive in finding the first two girls. January had been cold, but completely fruitless in her search for leads on Devon. February had been brutal, but it would let up soon, she hoped. Maybe the address they found tonight would lead to more information. She hoped she would not be too late in finding him.

  It had been a long road, without anyone believing in her quest. She knew Devon was out there and it was a matter of time before the leech would drain him. She knew it as if she had seen the whole thing. Every part of her being knew she was doing the right thing, but not having Blake and Rowan to help, that had been devastating. How could Blake turn his back on Devon? How could Rowan turn her back on her? Why couldn’t they see through Libby’s façade? Were they all being influenced by her? No. She may be strong from draining other vampires, but influencing them over a distance like that? No, this was all on them. They had given up on Devon, his whole family; Dominic, Anton, and Blake.

  “She’s not going to get away with this. I will find her, one way or another, I swear it, Devon. I’m looking for you and I won’t give up on you. This is her doing not yours; I feel it in my bones.” Darby said this out loud as if someone was there to hear her. As if saying it out loud would somehow relay the statement to Devon, wherever he was.

  She had to find him, and soon. If he was suffering, so would she. With that thought and the slight scent of Devon from his coat, she finally fell asleep under her pile of blankets.

  Chapter 14

  Finally, Darby had some information on Samantha Collins. Poor girl had been institutionalized locally, no wonder no one could find her. She had fallen off the face of the earth and landed in Belmont, MA at Mclean Mental Hospital, not too far from Boston.

  Darby didn’t want to bother Mark as she had asked him for too many favors and freebees already. She took a bus to the hospital on a Saturday morning and was able to get in to talk to Samantha Collins. What a pretty thing she was. They had her on some serious meds though. Darby wasn’t sure that she would be able to get much out of her.

  “Samantha, I’m a friend of Anton’s. Do you remember Anton Larsen?”

  “Yes, I do, I’m here because of him.”

  “You are, how so?”

  “First I got a call that said I would be very, very rich if I didn’t see him anymore, but I liked him, he was sweet and handsome and I didn’t want to leave him. Very soon after, an angel visited me and told me he was very, very bad, but it was the angel that was bad, not Anton. She had scary teeth. Angels don’t have teeth like that and I wouldn’t listen to the angel, but she wouldn’t leave me alone. I saw her everywhere; at work, at home, in my dreams, in my car, everywhere, and nobody believed there was a scary angel following me, so they put me in here. Now the scary angel doesn’t bother me anymore.”

  “Can you describe the scary angel?”

  “Oh yes, she has long golden hair, perfect skin, brown eyes, and scary teeth.”

  “Samantha. You were right. She is not an angel, she’s a bad person and she wanted to keep you away from Anton.”

  “I know. I’ve always known.”

  “Good. Now Samantha, don’t tell anyone I was here. I will make sure the scary angel never scares you again, okay?”

  “Good. Then can I see Anton?”

  “Yes, I will bring him myself if I have to. But you can’t tell anyone we talked, okay? I will send someone back here very soon and you will always be safe.”

  “Thank you. I’ll be as quiet as a mouse. I promise.”

  “Good. Bye for now, but I will see you soon.”

  “Bye.”

  Okay, so her confession probably wouldn’t hold up in court, but I’ll just bet Libby’s name is somewhere on the committal paperwork. When she got back to the house, she texted Mark and told him of her visit. She asked if he might be able to get a set of the paperwork for Samantha’s committal. She was sure this would be enough to sway Anton.

  Mark had said that he wanted to get together with her this evening. He had some information and he wanted her to come on a stakeout with him.

  When Mark drove up to the house, again the lights were off as she met him on the porch. He opened the door for her and she got in with the same black overcoat she had been wearing the last time he had seen her. He didn’t say anything about her apparel but he did say, “Um, Darby, I need to ask you something.”

  “Sure, Mark, anything.”

  “Do you have any electricity?”

  “Sure I do, don’t be a knucklehead. It’s March in Massachusetts, you think I’m nuts?”

  “No, but maybe broke. It’s just the last couple times I’ve been here, I’ve seen no sign of electricity.”

  He reached over and touched her hands. “You are ice-cold, Darby. And when was the last time you ate?”

  “This afternoon, like everyone.”

  “You’re lying to me, Darby. I will call Anton, if you don’t start being straight with me.”

  “Fine. I don’t have electricity. I have to make the money I have last as long as it takes to find Devon. I have plenty of blankets and I’m getting along just fine.”

  “And eating?”

  “I eat. I’m not starving.”

  “Well, just for the record…I don’t approve. Here, I brought a pizza for our stakeout. Eat up. There’s a cooler in the back with some Pepsi.” While he drove, he handed her a file folder that was under the pizza on the seat. “Here. You were right. Libby’s signature is on the committal papers.”

  “Great. So where are we going?”

  “We’re going to Simon Corbel’s house. I was told by one of the neighbors that a really pretty blonde woman shows up like clockwork every Thursday night. I came here last Thursday and she was driving that red flashy car you said she and Devon took off in from the Larsens’. It must have been in storage or something until the heat was off, but it has since shown up in a couple of locations. It’s been spotted at Michael Porter’s residence in the Hamptons, and like I said, it’s been seen at Corbel’s. I’m thinking she has a guy for each day of the week. Thought maybe we could follow her to wherever she goes after, maybe that’s where Devon is or maybe he is one of the lucky gentlemen. I’ve also heard from the gossip at Michael Porter’s corporate offices, that no one has physically seen Porter in the office for going on six months. Same with Corbel.”

  “Maybe she keeps them there too weak
to go to work, like she did with Anton. Just alive, but not able to do much else but satisfy her.”

  “You were right. She is gorgeous. I really thought you had overstated her looks, given your predicament.”

  “We have to be very careful, Mark. If she thinks anyone is on to her, she’ll drain these guys, leave them to die, and ditch town to find some new blood and that includes Devon.”

  “That is if Devon isn’t in on it.” Darby ignored his remark. She was used to everyone telling her she was wrong about him. She still needed to see it for herself.

  “So what do we do?”

  “We wait, and lie low.”

  “You are such a P.I.”

  “Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “You should. It suits you.”

  “So what will you do if Devon is in cahoots with her? Or in love with her?”

  “I’ll let it go and go home.”

  “Home? Where?”

  “I’m not sure. I don’t really have a home anymore. I suppose, I could move in with the Larsens, or I could move back to California. I still own half a house there; at least I think I do, unless my sister hasn’t told me something.”

  “You and your sister are close?”

  “You know, we used to be. But since I’ve been on this quest to find Devon, I’ve found just about everyone has disowned me.”

  “Even your sister?”

  “Even her. I guess I can’t blame her. It sounds crazy what I’m doing. I know that. Maybe I should be the one in the hospital, not Samantha. Sometimes you just have to do what you believe is to be right, no matter how everyone else feels about it. It hurts a lot to be so all alone, though. I never thought I would survive living alone, especially on the other side of the continent from where I’ve always been. Until I met Devon, I had barely ever been out of California. Los Angeles was the most foreign land I had ever been to. Now I live in the snow, thousands of miles away from what used to be home. Now I’m not sure where home is. I guess I’m kind of in between.”

  “Put your hood up and cover your hair; here comes a car.” They slunk down in the seats. The car went to the stop sign and turned left.